


unexpected guest

by Writerofthemoors



Category: The Folk of the Air - Holly Black
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Jude is jealous, Nicasia is That Bitch, Post-Book 3: The Queen of Nothing, Spoilers for Book 2: The Wicked King, cardan is sweet now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28063332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerofthemoors/pseuds/Writerofthemoors
Summary: When an unexpected visitor arrives at the Palace of Elfhame to see Cardan, Jude lets her jealousy get the best of her.
Relationships: Jude Duarte/Cardan Greenbriar
Comments: 8
Kudos: 82





	unexpected guest

I wake in our empty bed. The dream that is already dissipating in my mind is more of a memory; Cardan pressed against me as we lavish in the pools beyond the Palace gardens. And his touch still sears hot on my skin. I can feel the water lapping around our bare bodies as I tilt my head back and his mouth traces my neck. He kisses me from the base of my collarbone and up to my lips. It's real enough that I can close my eyes and sink back into the dream.

There's a sharp knock on the door. My eyes flicker open again. "Come in," I call, sitting up and noting how large the bed looks when I wake up in it alone. A servant girl bows and brings a letter on a platter.

"Your majesty," she says. "The letter was delivered early this morning. I'm told it's urgent."

"Leave it here," I say, rubbing my eyes. "Thank you." When she shuts the door I pick up the letter curiously. It's addressed to the High Queen of Elfhame, a title I'll never be used to, especially on paper. Suspicion creeps up my spine while I turn the manila envelope over and reach for a knife to break the seal, which is a honey gold color with a stamp that looks like a single sprig of wheat.

_To Her Royal Highness, the Great Queen of Elfhame,_

_I write for permission of your company this evening for a meeting about your husband's return. The King is an old acquaintance of mine who owes me a favor, and I wish to discuss the possibilities of his counsel._

_I've been told he does nothing without acceptance of your opinion. I look forward to speaking with you._

_Your friend, Princess Uneathen of Gilcaryn_

The suspicion sharpens to something else. I've never heard of this Princess Uneathen, nor her land of Gilcaryn. And how convenient for her to write for my appearance the day before Cardan returns from his trip to the Northern kingdoms. I have half a mind to slip into the libraries to search the histories and maps for this odd land and princess, but I've already slept late and time is slipping away. 

I sigh, dressing and sliding a dagger into my pocket. It's early, but a walk will ease my mind before we meet. I suspect she'll want to see me in the gardens. On my way I'm stopped by a guard. "A visitor is here to see you, my Queen," the guard says. "She's waiting in the Great Hall."

I frown and thank him, walking quickly towards the hall. It's unusual to meet anyone unfamiliar there. Cardan and I reserve it for close acquaintances when we have a private counsel. 

The princess is waiting at a table by herself and downing a drink that someone has brought from the kitchens. When she sees me she stands and bows, though the smile on her face looks more a smirk than anything. "Your Highness," she says, and then holds her hand out to take mine. "I've heard much about the formidable Queen."

"Very good to meet you, Princess Uneathen," I say, and sit with her at the table. I can't help but stare because she's beautiful the way that the Folk are beautiful, only she has an edge to her. Her skin is sun-kissed and her caramel hair is cut short above her shoulders. She doesn't look like the woodland Folk of Elfhame, with their flowing hair and willowy frames. Her arms are rounded with muscle. She knows the pain of labor. This surprises me, and I find a seed of resentment planted somewhere deep inside me where I'm unable to examine it yet. 

"Please call me Nea. Everyone does." She motions to the drink in front of me. "Enjoy. I've ordered them for us."

I almost laugh. They are my kitchens that she's ordered from. Also, I never drink anything without knowing precisely who has prepared it. But there is power at play here. I'm being baited. So I lift the glass to my lips and let the smallest amount down my throat. I can't detect any poison, which should be a relief. Still, I feel no relief. 

"What is your request of the King?" I ask, staring at her evenly.

"How is Cardan?" she asks, and her expression shifts to satisfaction when she sees the grimace on my face. 

"Very well," I say. I think about the way she uses his name informally and wonder why he's never mentioned her before. "He'll return tomorrow, as you know. You could have waited to talk to him yourself." 

She nods and stares right through me, like she can see the insecurities that I carry each day that I rule a kingdom that will always feel beyond my control. "Well, I wanted to surprise him at the revel tomorrow. We haven't seen each other in a few years, you see. And I wanted to get familiar with the mortal Queen who was beguiling enough to steal his heart."

My fists clench under the table. Sarcasm drips from her words. I stop myself from feeling the dagger against my side. "Go on then," I say, hoping it sounds flippant enough. "Tell me your request. How in the world can he owe _you_ anything?" 

"Didn't you know?" Her expression is one of mock surprise. "I thought everyone did. When we were younger he came to our kingdom with his older brothers. Prince Dain dared him to climb the tallest tree he could find or they'd leave him in our flat Kingdom of Grain." She sniffs. "Well, I had a treehouse in one of those trees, and I let him use a hidden rope to climb up. We stayed in my treehouse the rest of their visit."

"How sweet," I say. "And?"

"And now he owes me a favor. I'm here to redeem it."

"Tell me your request," I say, annoyed. 

"I didn't bring you here to tell you the request," she says. "I only brought you here to arrive in your good graces. He'll only be open-minded if he thinks you and I have become friends."

"We haven't become friends," I say. "And you'll waste your time this way. He won't grant you anything without speaking with me about it."

"It's private," she counters, and then glowers. "Do you need to do everything for him? Doesn't he already have a horrible mother in his life?"

I stand and knock my glass forward, the wine spilling over Nea's dress. "Forgive me," I say. "Mortals are so clumsy."

"Please," she says, dabbing at her dress with the tablecloth. "Let us talk more about an alliance between our lands."

"Not needed. I've never even heard of your land," I say, turning and walking away from her. "See you tomorrow." 

I tell the guard at the door to usher her out within the hour and make my way to our rooms. The faint light of dawn is coming in through the grand arched windows that repeat down the hallways. There are statues between each of them. I stop at one and notice the position of the figures. A women reaching up to an angel above her, curling her hands into his hair. He leans down in his perpetual stance, the lingering moment before a kiss. 

\-----------------------------------

When Cardan arrives the sun is already high in the air. I don't usually meet him outside, but my conversation with Nea hours before is still weighing heavy on my mind. His horse is jet black, matching him perfectly. Once he dismantles and gives the reins to a stableman, he makes his way towards me with a wicked smile on his face. His heavy cape drags behind him, necessary for his time in the cold Northern kingdoms, and his white blouse beneath billows in the wind. 

He looks ready to make a joke, something he's probably been thinking up the whole way home. I don't care. I throw my arms around him and breathe him in. The familiar scent of him, mixed with the unfamiliar lands that I haven't yet traveled to. I feel his arms wrap around me and hold me against him. It reminds me of the moment after I slayed him in his serpent form, when he was covered in blood and I was close to shattering into a thousand pieces. 

"Has something horrible happened?" he asks against my hair. 

"No," I say. "Nothing too horrible." I remember the princess and let go. 

He smiles sideways at me and takes my hand. Whatever sly remark he'd planned before seems to fade from his mind. I can tell he's analyzing me. It's impossible to keep anything from him. 

We walk in silence when halfway to the palace he sighs and pushes his hair out of his face. "Well, are you going to tell me what ails you?" He laughs a little, and I can hear the nerves in it. 

"Nothing, just--" I hate that this makes me nervous at all. I've dealt with far worse situations. If I'd waited for him in my rooms and dined with him before the revel -- the way we always did -- he wouldn't have noticed anything off. Instead I'd counted the minutes until they announced he was near and ran outside like a lovesick idiot. Embarrassment washes over me and leaves my cheeks hot. 

"Tell me," he says, voice low so the nearby guards won't hear. "Before I throw myself into the ocean." 

When I look at him he beams a smile at me so dazzling that I feel ridiculous immediately. Because, _of course_ he is mine. He'd never hide something that mattered to him, or that would hurt me. "A princess is here to see you. At the revel."

"Princess?" He frowns. "Who?"

"Uneathen of Gilcaryn." 

"Nea?" His voice sounds genuinely surprised. But her nickname sends a spike of fear through me. Who is this princess? Why am I just learning about her? These are the questions I want to ask but don't dare to, as they'd give away my feelings. Instead, I say, "She needs a favor."

Cardan makes an annoyed sound and rolls his eyes. "I'm so sick of giving out favors."

"I've never heard of her kingdom," I say as we enter the palace. "Is it far from here?"

"Very," Cardan says, taking off his heavy cape and handing it off to a servant. "And exceedingly boring. You wouldn't believe how little happens in the flatlands of the Grain Kingdoms. Provincial, to say the least."

"At any rate, she wants to see you alone tomorrow." I cross my arms. "She wouldn't tell me what she wanted from you."

"How very much like her to be so coy." His dark eyes fasten on me and then turn to liquid. He smiles deliciously. "Oh, so this is your worry. That someone will get me alone and poison me or something, without you around to play the hero and save my life again."

"No," I say, though I'm relieved that his thoughts go there first. "No, I just find it suspicious."

"You find everything suspicious," he says with a laugh.

"That's what's kept us alive so long." I try to push him away but he pulls me to him and crushes kisses against my cheeks. "Cardan!"

"Every day that I wake I reach for you," he murmurs, shifting so his temple rests against mine. "It's horrible to be away."

"Now you're back," I say, and I want to continue with some kind of plan for the revel, but his hot breath against my neck is too convincing. He pulls me into our rooms before I can think too hard about anything at all.

\----------------

Cardan leaves for the revel before I can because he's needed to approve the wine, his one favorite duty. I'm left to finish getting ready. My dress, a slate grey, is plain besides the glittering leaves that decorate the skirts of the gown. A matching grey butterfly clip, a gift from Cardan for our one year anniversary, is placed in my hair. I brush my long curls and stare at my reflection. What is it that irks me so about this Princess Nea? It's that she should be the kind of Folk that occupy the rooms of the King. Not a mortal with scars decorating her skin and heart. 

On my way to the revel I can hear the chorus of music and dancing that reverberates through the halls. When I enter, Cardan is still absent. I move towards our thrones and stop when I see two figures standing together near a grand round table at the center of the room. Nicasia, her sheer gown that shows just too much, and Princes Nea standing with her, looking just as radiant. Nea wears a cream gown of ruffles that cascades to the floor. When they see me they freeze, two predators detecting their prey. I turn sharply away and towards my throne, something I earned by being the predator myself. 

After an hour, I beckon to a set of guards. "Where is the King?" I hiss. 

"He's in a private meeting," the guard says. "He told us you were informed." 

I stand and survey the room, noticing the princess is absent now too. My eyes rest on Nicasia. She has a horrible gleam in her eyes as she works her way to the dais. 

"Where is our dear King?" Nicasia asks. 

"I suspect you know," I reply. We hold each other's gaze for a moment.

"I'm sure he didn't tell you about her," she says with a smile. 

"No," I say, clutching at the sides of my throne. "No, he did not."

**Author's Note:**

> Was gonna make this a one-shot and it got too long. So, part 2 will be here soon!


End file.
